By My Side
by AlmostInfinity
Summary: Izumi is rejected by her crush, Takuya, because of her tomboy attitude. She then falls in love with Kouji, a famous photographer, who introduces her to the world of modeling and helps bring out her feminine side. But will the business tear them apart? AU.
1. A chance meeting

_Welcome to my story page! This is a Kouzumi fic and the first one I'll be posting up on fanfiction. I find AU works for a lot of Digimon fanfics, so I wanted to try creating one. This was originally just going to be a romance, but I decided to throw some comedy in as well._

_I don't own Digimon in any way. _

_Please R & R!_

_x x x_

It wasn't supposed to happen this way.

"I……I love you, Takuya."

I stood completely still, eyes locked on Takuya Kanbara – my crush since the start of high school. A bead of sweat formed on my brow, but it was cooled by the crisp autumn breeze. My hands twisted nervously in my pockets while I waited for him to respond.

Takuya sighed and ran a hand through his messy, brown hair. "I was wondering why you had called me out to the park so suddenly. I never expected it would be because of…well, _this_."

My stomach tightened, but I let him continue.

"Look, Izumi, I think you're cool and all—"

At this point, I knew what his answer would be. He seemed uncomfortable as he averted my gaze. My instincts were screaming at me from inside. Leave now, they echoed, you don't want to hear this.

"—But I can't return your feelings. Sorry."

"At least tell me," I started, feeling a little angry, "Tell me why you're saying no."

Takuya scratched the back of his head stupidly. "Aw come on, Izumi. Don't make me say it."

I glared. He owed me that much, and he knew it, too.

"I guess," Takuya shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not attracted to tomboys. I'd like to date someone a little more feminine than you."

See, Izumi? He's just not attracted to—wait. _Tomboy?_

"So, uh, no hard feelings, right?" He punched my shoulder like two football buddies would do before a big game. Was that supposed to be funny? He just stood there, grinning stupidly, so I guess he found some humor in it.

My fists clenched. He was lucky there were people around and a shortage of sharp objects to throw.

"None at all," I gritted through my teeth. "Now go. I can tell you want to leave."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I need to be alone right now."

"Okay. See you at school, then." Takuya waved and left the scene, a little _too_ fast, and I watched him like I always seemed to.

You idiot, my mind yelled at his retreating back, you were supposed to say yes.

By My Side  
.::**Chapter 1**::.

Izumi Orimoto – blonde hair, blue eyes, perfect figure, personality of……a boy?

I sat behind the huge fountain in the center of the park to clear my thoughts. Takuya's rejection was bugging me, to say the least. He had called me a tomboy like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I guess I did act a little tougher than most girls I knew, but what was wrong with that? Some guys like a girl who can stick up for herself.

My head found a cozy spot between my knees as I held them to my chest tightly. The best plan of action now would be to forget Takuya Kanbara and move on. But even as the idea passed through my thoughts, I laughed under my breath. After two years of admiring him, forgetting his presence would not be easy.

My thoughts were interrupted as a tune from my cell phone rang through the air. I glanced down at the cover to see who it was. The screen flashed the text: MOM. I groaned quietly and flipped open the phone.

"Hi, Mom," I answered unenthusiastically.

"Izumi?" My mother's high-pitched tone sounded through the speaker. "Are you alright, dear? You haven't come home yet, so I was starting to get worried."

"I'm fine, Mom." I usually headed straight home after school everyday, so I could understand her concern. "I'm actually at the park. Is it okay if I stay a little longer?"

"As long as you're back in time for dinner, I see no problem with that."

"Thanks. I'll see you later," I said.

"Bye, sweetie."

I flipped my phone shut and leaned back against the cool marble of the fountain. The soft breeze picked up once again, and it chilled my skin despite the fact that I was wearing a sweater. My blonde hair swayed idly in the wind while I played with the cover of my phone. A sudden flash from the bushes caught my attention, but it was gone as soon as it came. A red maple leaf floated along an air current and landed on the ground beside my hand.

I stared at it. Red. Takuya's favorite color.

I mentally slapped the thought away. _Don't think about those things_, I told myself, _you need to forget about Takuya_. But that was pretty hard when _everything _reminded me of him! I groaned, standing up on my feet. I needed a quick distraction. On the other side of the park, a white truck was parked with a huge sign that said 'Ice Cream'. Perfect. I dashed over and the man inside the truck leaned over the edge of the window with a smile.

"Good afternoon, miss. What can I get you?" He asked.

"I'll take a chocolate soft serve."

"Coming right up." He went inside the back for a minute, then came out with a perfectly made ice cream cone. When he handed it to me, I took it and gave him the three dollars I was supposed to use for lunch.

"Thanks, miss!" The man passed me my change and I had to balance the cone in my right hand so I could grab it. I dropped the coins in my pocket, and when I went to take a bite out of my ice cream, I noticed a huge crater gone from the top of it.

My mouth dropped. "What the—"

"Chocolate. Nice choice."

I jumped at the sudden entrance of a voice to my left. I glanced in that direction to see a boy, who seemed to be my age, licking a spot of chocolate off of his chin. He had dark eyes and even darker hair, which was pulled into a thin ponytail and covered by a blue bandana on his head. He was wearing a blue sweatshirt with a yellow undershirt and dark grey pants with white sneakers. I must have been staring, because he locked eyes with me and smirked.

"Something the matter?" He asked casually.

"Yeah!" I glared and pointed to my mangled ice cream mountain. "You just put your tongue all over my ice cream!"

He shrugged. "It was only one lick. I wanted to try it."

"Well I can't eat it now!" I huffed. Who did this boy think he was? I had half a mind to shove the rest of the cone in his face.

"Don't worry, I'll make it up to you somehow." He reached behind his back and pulled up a camera, which was attached to a gray strap around his shoulder. It looked really high tech. "You take nice pictures, by the way."

"I...what?" A chunk of ice cream melted right off the cone and onto my hand. I slammed the stupid cone into the trash cane and wiped my hands on a nearby tree. The boy rubbed the lens on his camera before turning it to me.

"Look on the screen," he told me.

I took it from him, and my eyes widened. It was a picture of me, from when I was sitting behind the fountain. The sun made the blonde strands in my hair appear golden as I leaned against the marble with a longing expression on my face. I blushed. When did he…? I suddenly recalled the flash from the bushes earlier.

"You took a picture of me?" It sounded like more of an accusation than a question coming from my mouth.

"Well, yeah. It came out great." He pulled the camera back and stared at the picture himself. "Have you ever considered modeling?"

I snorted. "Me? Are you serious?"

He nodded. "Why not? I can tell you have potential, uh—"

"Izumi," I offered.

"I'm Kouji," He extended his hand to me, and I shook it. "You should stop by this studio tomorrow. They're having auditions for WING's new model." He handed me a business card, but I swatted it away.

"Isn't WING that fashion line for teens? They wouldn't want someone like me modeling their clothes."

Takuya's words surfaced at the back of my mind. _I'm not attracted to tomboys_.

Kouji reached over and stuck the business card in my jeans pocket. "At least think about it? I'll buy you an ice cream if you audition." I crossed my arms. His cell phone started beeping suddenly. "I have to go. See you later, Izumi."

I was at a loss for words. Kouji was gone and the feeling of the business card was warm in my pocket.

x x x

I had thought about it all night, and came to the conclusion that it wouldn't be so bad just to audition. Besides, if I became a famous model for WING, Takuya would surely recognize that I was just as feminine as the next girl. And that he made a big mistake by turning me down.

Right now I was standing in front of the Minamoto Agency – the place where the business card said the auditions would be held. It was Saturday, so I had told my parents that I was going to the park again to get out of the house. I clutched the card and stared up at the gigantic building; it must have been at least 20 floors high with a personal office around every corner.

"The Minamoto's must be super rich," I said out loud, suddenly feeling a little intimidated, "I wonder if I'll get to meet a few top executives."

The huge glass doors to the building opened in front of me and a skinny red-haired girl came running out to greet me. She was wearing a white dress, a headset, and a pair of black rimmed glasses. Her red curls bounced as she scrambled over to me.

"Hi! You must be here for the audition! Please come inside," Before I could respond, she looped her arm through mine and dragged me inside the glass doors. I gaped. The main lobby had a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling and a large fountain in the center of the room. There were expensive looking antiques and furniture all over the place. The girl giggled at my expression. "My name's Arisa Inoue. I'm the receptionist here and a designer for WING."

"I'm Izumi Orimoto. Nice to meet you."

Arisa beamed. "It's nice to meet you, too! Now if you'll please follow me, I'll take you to the prep room."

I laughed awkwardly. Do I really have a choice? You're dragging me along like a kid in a candy store, lady.

We rode the elevator to the tenth floor and then Arisa led me to a small office. She fiddled with her keys and unlocked it for me, pushing me inside. Even this little office was extravagant. It had hardwood floors, a designer couch and a polished oak desk. Arisa was used to this living style, and seemed uninterested as she flipped open her clipboard.

"Alright, Izumi, you have five minutes to prepare yourself in this room. There's a mirror and a brush over there on the desk if you need it." She tapped her pen against the corner of her mouth. "You're audition number is 508. They'll call you on the loud speaker when it's your turn."

My hands started trembling. "U-Um, Ms. Inoue?"

"Please, call me Arisa. I'm not that much older than you, anyway."

"Arisa," I corrected myself, "What kinds of things will I have to do for the audition?"

She just stared at me like I had four heads. "Shouldn't you know?"

I knew this would happen. She was used to dealing with professional models, not first timers like me. I decided to keep the fact that this was my first audition a secret. "Could you…refresh my memory?"

"Well," Arisa tapped her clipboard. "You'll obviously have to pose, take a few pictures, do a little runway walking…the basics."

Enter freak out mode. I wasn't sure I _could_ do any of those things.

"Are you ok?" Arisa asked me with a cute tilt of her head. "You seem kind of pale."

"I'm fine." Liar.

"Well, I have to get down to the lobby. Good luck with your audition!" She smiled and shut the door behind her.

As she left me to my thoughts, with only three minutes left of my preparation time, I decided to weigh the positives against the negatives. Positive: Getting back at Takuya for calling me a tomboy. Negative: Embarrassing myself in front of a panel of top designers. And while I did care about showing Takuya up, the negatives had a stronger argument. I had to leave. The door creaked open as I slid through it and checked to make sure no one was coming. I reached the elevator when a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Hey, Izumi."

I spun around to meet my dark-eyed acquaintance.

"Kouji!"

"I'm glad you decided to show up," he smiled, and my heart thumped in my chest. He looked pleased to see me here. His smile faded, though, and his eyes lowered when he noticed the elevator. "Were you, by any chance, thinking of bailing out on the audition?"

Damn he was sharp. I panicked. "D-Don't be silly! I didn't come here to audition, I just came to check out the studio!" It was partially true, at least.

He grabbed my sleeve and leaned over me like a killer. "You're lying."

"No! I'm really telling the—" And for the second time that day, I was being dragged away like a rag doll against my will. "Kouji, where the heck are you taking me?"

He didn't turn around. "You're going to audition!"

My mouth fell open. "What? No way! Let me go!"

"Hell no!"

"Yes! Let go right now!" I kicked my legs, hoping to make it harder for him to hold on.

"No," Kouji repeated, his grip tightening.

"Kouji, I'll ask you one more time to release me!"

"And I'll deny you one more time. No."

"I want a lawyer!" I screamed. "Somebody get me a lawyer!"

"You can't afford a lawyer here!"

We reached the end of the hallway, and Kouji pushed a tall door open, slamming it behind us. The room was comprised of a lengthy table covered with a white cloth that read 'WING Label Audition' on the front, metal chairs, and a plain backdrop next to a camera. It was the audition room. Kouji sunk down into a metal chair to catch his breath, and I stayed standing in the corner with my arms crossed.

"The other judges will be here any minute," he noticed my attitude and sighed, "You'll thank me for this later."

"Oh really?" I responded bitterly. "I'll thank you for letting me embarrass myself in front of a bunch of strangers?"

"Not _all_ strangers," he leaned forward in his chair to look at my face, "I'll be here."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why? Are you part of the clean-up crew?"

Kouji seemed very confused at my question. "Izumi, didn't I tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"My last name," he replied, "It's Minamoto."

Hold on. 'Minamoto' as in……Minamoto-on-the-business-card-owns-this-_place_, Minamoto?

Holy crap.

"No way," I choked out.

There was a sharp banging on the door as people started crowding into the room. They were all conversing loudly with each other, pulling off their designer sunglasses and hanging up their expensive leather and fur coats before getting settled in the chairs. Kouji made his way over to my side through all the commotion.

"These people are some of the designers and executives from WING. They'll be judging you alongside me," He whispered. I noticed how Arisa slipped through the door and moved to the corner. "Arisa's also here to monitor the audition."

He was explaining the ropes to me, but I couldn't hear him over the turmoil in my own head. I was way too nervous right now to concentrate. I reached out blindly and grabbed hold of his sleeve. He shut up instantly.

"Are you ok, Izumi?" He sounded concerned.

"Kouji, please," I swallowed hard before continuing, "I can't do this. I'm not a professional. I'll just look stupid."

A beefy man stood up in his white suit and read off a piece of paper. "Number 508, please come up to the panel."

Kouji glanced at the designers, then back at me. "You'll do fine. I promise." He lifted my shaky hand and squeezed it tightly with his own. I let go reluctantly so he could take his place at the panel. The judges were waiting for me, so I took a deep breath and marched over.

"State your number and name," the beefy man said, lazily.

"I'm n-number 508. Izumi Orimoto." I tried to hold a smile for them, but it came across as more of a murderous grin than anything. Damn nerves.

The room fell silent.

"I want her," Kouji pointed to me.

Arisa stumbled and had to push her glasses back up. "S-Sir, are you certain you want her? We haven't even started her audition or any others—"

Kouji leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed behind his head. "The President put me in charge of choosing the new model for WING, right? And I'm telling you I want this girl for the job. Inform the President for me, please."

"Right away, sir." Arisa bowed then left the room.

The judges stared at each other for the longest time, then over at me, who still had a murderous grin on my face because it seemed to be frozen that way. They raised an eyebrow at Kouji, who was rocking in his chair with a smile. Then they looked at each other again, shrugged, and pulled out their cell phones to make the arrangements. Talk about blind trust.

Kouji sauntered over to my side and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Way to go, Izumi. You got the job." Then he laughed. "I planned on picking you the whole time, but I thought it would be good to let you sweat it out a little."

I was going to kill him...as soon as the feeling came back to my arms. But I was relieved the whole ordeal was over and that I actually landed the job. I never wanted to be that nervous again in my entire life.

"Kouji?" I asked, cheeks flushed.

He put his hands in his pockets. "Yeah?"

"You owe me an ice cream."

x x x

_Next time: Izumi's first job as a model._

_Read and Review. It will make me happy._


	2. A first job

_We've made it to chapter 2!_ _I'd like to thank those of you who have reviewed this story so far; it really keeps me motivated! I changed this back to just romance because it's going to get more serious as we go along. And by the way, I have nothing against tomboys; I just need to use the idea for the story. I'll try my best to update when I get the chance, so keep R & R ing!_

x x x

It was pitch black outside by the time I was done at the agency. There was a lot of work to plan, and I hadn't realized how much time and effort went into these big projects. The managers had already planned my first photo shoot, which would happen on Monday, and they even booked me a spot on a radio show to talk about my plans as the new WING model. All they needed was for me to make their line a success. We finished up around 10:30 p.m., and Kouji walked me to the front door.

"Do you need a ride home?" He asked, pulling on a sweater.

I shook my head. "Nah, it's okay, I'll just catch a taxi like usual."

Kouji set his camera down on the front desk next to a pile of papers. "We'll call your school to tell them that you'll be out for a while. Don't oversleep and miss the photo shoot tomorrow."

I frowned. "I won't! I promise to be here at eight in the morning as planned!"

He seemed tired as he shuffled through the papers slowly. "See you then."

I waved back at him as I stepped through the gigantic glass doors to get outside. An icy breeze hit me and I shivered as I scrambled down the stairs to the street.

"Taxi!" I yelled and one stopped to pick me up.

When I reached home a half hour later, the lights were already off inside the house. I gulped and tip-toed down the driveway, hoping no one would see me through the windows. My mom got really angry at me once for missing dinner to go see a movie, so I had promised her that I would be home for every meal from then on. I could only imagine what she'd do to me now that I had missed dinner and come home four hours late. I braced myself and unlocked the front door, poking my head inside to assess the situation. The living room was empty and even the kitchen lights were turned off. My parents actually went to bed without watching the 11 o'clock news? It was a little suspicious.

As soon as I shut the door and dropped my bags on the floor, a light in the kitchen flicked on.

"Izumi? Is that you?" My mom's voice called softly.

I sucked in a deep breath. "Uh, yeah, it's me."

"Could you come in the kitchen, please? I need to speak with you." Mom's kitchen was her private sanctuary, and she never called meetings in there unless it was for something important. Or if I was in trouble. I walked the walk of shame towards the kitchen.

"Hi, Mom," I said bashfully. "Where's Dad?"

"He's asleep," she stared at me, folding her arms across her chest. There was an awkward silence until she spoke up again. "You weren't at the park."

I suddenly remembered my cover story – that I was going to spend the day at the park again. The park closes at 7 p.m.

She continued, "It was getting late, and you hadn't called at all, so I drove there to pick you up myself. But I couldn't find you anywhere." She sighed and shook her head. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

My expression fell. "You're right, I didn't even stop by the park today at all. I'm sorry. I was actually at—"

She cut me off "—A modeling audition, I know."

I froze. She knew about the audition?

Mom guessed the reason behind my confused reaction and pointed to the TV on the counter. "It was all over the news this afternoon. 'The results of the audition for WING's new model have just been announced: Izumi Orimoto, age 15, will be the new face of this fashion line.'" Her impression of a newscaster would have been believable if she wasn't throwing her arms in the air wildly.

I rolled my eyes. "Believe me, it was a complete surprise for me, too."

Mom cupped her chin with her right hand and stared at me with a strange expression. "Izumi, I don't know why they picked you…"

Here it comes. The refusal.

"…But, I must say, I'm glad they did! How wonderful!" She smiled brilliantly at me.

I stumbled forward a bit. "H-huh?"

"I never knew you wanted to become a model!" She gushed. "It was always my dream to become a successful model for a famous clothes line. And to think that my little Izumi, the tomboy who's never worn a dress in her life and who used to pick out boys' boxers for underwear, wanted to try that profession as well! It amazes me!"

"Mom!" I shouted, exasperated. "S-Stop!" Not you too!

She danced over to my side and gave me a hug. "I'm sorry, dear. I'm just excited for you!"

"You mean you're not mad?" I was so sure a lecture had been brewing.

She put a finger to her cheek thoughtfully. "Well, you _did_ miss dinner…but that's alright, I wrapped it up for you." She opened the fridge and pulled out a plate covered in plastic wrap. I smelled the sauce and knew what it was even before she uncovered it.

"It's your favorite!" She shoved it in the microwave. "Spaghetti and meatballs."

I sighed when she placed the food on the counter in front of me. "Mom…just because we lived in Italy for a while doesn't mean I missed eating pasta 24/7." I immediately regretted saying it.

I felt her ominous aura as she came up behind me, slapping a frying pan against her palm. "Just eat, dammit."

Tomboy? I cried to myself. I wonder where I got it from!

By My Side  
.::**Chapter 2**::.

"Taxi!" I flagged one down at the end of my street. I had overslept, I was late, and Kouji was going to kill me.

"Where to?" The driver asked as I flung myself into the back seat.

"Minamoto Agency."

I glanced at the clock on the dashboard and saw that it was already 8:15, and it would take at least a half an hour to get to the agency. I prayed that Kouji was in a forgiving mood today. Probably not.

As soon as the taxi parked in front of the agency, I tossed the money for the driver on the front seat and jumped out of the car. I dashed up the stairs and through the doors like an Olympic runner who just passed the finish line.

"Arisa!" I yelled.

The red haired designer poked her head out from behind a white door. "Izumi, you're finally here!" She gestured to the room she was in. "Come quickly!"

I ran over and she pulled me into the room, closing the door behind her. I huffed, trying to catch my breath.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, Arisa."

"Nevermind that," she was sorting through a row of clothes in the dressing room. "Kouji took care of it. You still have time."

"He did?" Man, I owed him one.

"Here," Arisa shoved a hanger with a zippered bag hanging off of it. "The outfit you'll be wearing for the shoot today is inside. Change in to it and as soon as you're done we'll get a stylist in here to help with your hair and makeup." She mumbled something into her headset and left me to change.

I laid the bag across a table and pulled the zipper down so I could take out my outfit. When I saw what it was, I immediately grimaced.

It was a dress.

My mom hadn't been lying when she said I'd never worn a dress in my life. I always found them to be way too frilly and revealing to wear in public. This one was purely white, with tank top straps at the top and a curvy, laced trim at the bottom. The little white angel wing that was WING's signature mark was stitched above the left breast. It came with white ballet flats for shoes.

I held it up with shaky hands and stared at it. Time to take one for the team, Izumi.

"Izumi, are you done yet?" Arisa pounded on the door. "The stylist is waiting!"

"Wait a sec! This is really embarrassing…" I finally opened the door to let them examine my appearance. I was wearing the dress, my hair was down, and the ballet flats were on my feet. I blushed furiously as they just stared at me.

"Aww, you're so cute!" Arisa squealed, crushing me in a hug.

"Whoa!" I shoved her off of me. "Don't do that!"

"I'm sorry," she bit the top of her pen in embarrassment, "but you really do look cute."

I turned to the mirror. Cute? This is the first time anyone's called me that.

"Alright, let's get back to the task at hand," Arisa ushered me over to a chair and pushed me down. "This is Mona. She's going to try to do your hair and makeup in as little time as possible, so please cooperate."

I sat quietly in the chair while Mona curled my hair with a curling iron and did my makeup. I was uncomfortable enough, and talking would have surely set off a nerve. When she was done, I stood up and turned to Arisa. My face felt incredibly pasty and hard. I wanted to wipe it off on the stupid clean dress.

"You don't usually wear makeup," Arisa guessed and I nodded. She laughed and patted me on the shoulder. "Cheer up, kid. It's time to send you to Kouji."

I felt numb as we rode the elevator to the fifth floor. I wondered if Kouji was pissed at me.

Of course he is, my inner voice scolded, you promised you would be here on time and you weren't. He's not going to trust you now.

"This is where the photo room is," Arisa opened the door for me with a smile. "Good luck, sweetie."

I managed to bend my mouth into a halfway decent smile. "Thanks."

I directed my attention to the floor as I entered, sincerely hoping that Kouji wasn't waiting for me with an angry glare. He was.

"You're late."

"I'm sorry, Kouji," I apologized. I glanced up to see him sitting on a desk with one knee propped up as he leaned his shoulder against it. I noticed his eyes widen for a brief second. "I said I would be here at eight and I wasn't. I feel really bad."

He hopped down off the desk turned his back on me. "I told the managers that it was my fault you didn't show up because I gave you the wrong time."

A wave of guilt hit me. He covered for me? "You didn't have to do that—"

"--Just don't come late ever again. They might fire you next time." Even though his back was facing me, I could see his shoulders shaking slightly.

Oh god, he is really mad!

I dashed over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Kouji, are you okay? You're shaking!"

"Oh, that?" His dark eyes turned to meet mine as he covered his mouth with his hand. "I was just holding back a laugh."

I froze. I had forgotten about my outfit.

I blushed and punched him on the shoulder. "Don't laugh at me you jerk! I'm not used to wearing clothes like these!"

He smirked. "No, don't get me wrong. You look cute. But you also look like you want to scream." I glared and he flicked his finger against my forehead. "Relax."

"Let's just do the photo shoot already!" I stomped over to the middle of the room and sat in the chair. The sooner I was out of this dress, the better. Kouji grabbed his camera and followed me to the center space.

Kouji spoke to me while he wiped the camera lens clean. "WING just came out with a brand new Winter line for the upcoming season. The theme is 'Snow Angel' and they want a few good pictures for the cover of their magazine, so it's just a small job to start out. Think you can handle being an angel for a little while?"

"Sure. No problem." This theme was actually the perfect opportunity for me. If Takuya saw me on the cover of a magazine as a graceful angel, he'd probably come running right back to me with open arms. I had to make this work.

Unfortunately, things didn't go the way I wanted them to.

I had tried every pose and expression that Kouji wanted me to do, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't make them work for me. It was awkward for me to smile and act pretty when I was so uncomfortable, and that was showing in my pictures. They were coming out terrible.

"I can't do it, Kouji." I sighed and flopped my head onto the desk behind him.

He clicked through the pictures on his camera with a calm expression. "I don't know what to say, Izumi. You've never taken any courses for modeling, have you?"

"No, and that's the problem!" I buried my face in my arms. "I'm a newbie and I'm doing a professional's work. No wonder why this isn't going well." I decided that it was time to voice the question I had been dreading to ask him. "Why did you choose me for this job, anyway? You would have seen at the audition that I had no idea how to be a good model."

Kouji paused, lowering his camera. "I have faith in you."

I twisted my head in my arms to look at him. "What?"

He leaned back on the desk. "Why did you decide to audition?"

I thought about that for a moment. "I'm not good at opening up to people. And when I had finally gotten the courage to let someone see into my heart, I was rejected, and it hurt." My gaze softened as I recalled the day in the park. "But what you said to me, that day we met, made me really…happy." A blush crept up on my cheeks. "I thought that if a complete stranger could say I showed promise with something, without even knowing me, then maybe it would be worth pursuing. Weird logic, I know, but it made me want to try harder. And I guess I never thanked you for that properly," I smiled, "so thanks, Kouji."

Flash.

"And there it is," He smirked, and I realized he had just taken a picture of me.

My head snapped up from the desk. "What are you doing?"

"Look." Kouji shoved the camera in my face. Once again, there was a beautiful picture of me, and this time I was leaning over the desk with my head cradled in my arms. My blonde curls fell against my shoulders and my cheeks were tinted pink. "We can get someone to Photoshop wings on your back. It's perfect."

My eyes narrowed. "So the tactic this time was to make me spill my feelings for a good picture?"

"Hey, you did that yourself." He shut the camera off and placed it on the desk. "Anyway, we're done here. You're free to go."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You have another photo shoot tomorrow, so get here on time."

"Oh, I won't mess that up again, don't worry. I'll see you tomorrow!" I grinned and left the photo room.

x Normal POV x

Kouji slumped against the door as soon as Izumi left, trying to cover the blush on his face with his sleeve.

x x x

_Next time: The managers aren't happy with Izumi's progress._

_Don't forget to press that button and review!_


	3. A reputation

___Alright, we're at chapter three! An the story is just gonna get better. Once again, I'd like to thank all my reviewers. The next chapter might be a little delayed because I'm starting school soon, but I'll try to get it posted as soon as possible. Have no fear! And…not much else to say except enjoy this chapter!_

x x x

"Arrrgh, I _will_ get this! I will!"

A week had passed by in a flash, and I had done a few more shoots for the _Snow Angel_ line during that time. Maybe I was being pessimistic, but I felt as though those photo shoots went worse than the first one. The jobs had been a little different though, because I now had an audience. Kouji explained to me that my first job had been a small cover shoot, so it only required one photographer to get the pictures, but now, as my jobs became more involved, so did other people. I had an audience of designers, photographers, and assistants in this new setting. Needless to say I was even more uncomfortable than before.

We were currently in the middle of another photo shoot, and this time I was wearing a soft pink sweater with white khakis. My hair was pulled up into a bun and two strands of hair were let loose to frame my face. I tried my best to look cute for them, but the other photographers weren't impressed one bit. I groaned and plopped myself down in a chair.

"Calm down, Izumi," Kouji lowered his camera and turned to everyone else, "maybe we should take a break. I bet she's just hungry."

"I'm fine! I'm not hungry at all!" Of course my stomach had to growl at that exact moment. In reality, I was starving, but I wasn't going to let them think I would slack off over something like that. My cheeks turned the color of my sweater as I pulled the collar over my nose.

Kouji rolled his eyes at me. "Meet back here in twenty minutes, everybody."

As people piled out of the room to seize advantage of the break time, I snuck over to Kouji and pulled him aside.

"What are you doing?" I hissed. "You're making me look bad!"

"No, you're taking care of that yourself." Kouji sighed and flicked my forehead with his finger. "Is something bothering you? You seem especially out of it today." He was scary accurate whenever it came to sensing my inner turmoil. I decided it wouldn't hurt to voice my thoughts out loud.

"I've just been wondering," he didn't respond, so I continued, "am I letting you down?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You know," I coughed to cover up my embarrassment, "about the pictures. I kind of suck. I've only taken a handful of decent photos during the past couple shoots. Isn't that bad for you, too?"

Kouji shrugged, his hands in his pockets. "As long as we have those good photos, we should be fine. WING wanted a variety of models to be featured in the magazine, anyway." He didn't say it with much confidence, but I smiled despite that fact.

"Well, that makes me feel a little better, at least," I said.

"Oh, I need to give you something, by the way." Kouji placed his camera down on the desk and fished through the drawers underneath. After some digging, he pulled out a white envelope and handed it to me.

My head tilted to the side as I accepted it. "What is it?"

"Your first paycheck."

My eyes widened as I tore the top open. The inside contained a check with my name on it. A huge check. A…wow, a HUGE check…with my name on it.

"You can't be serious. I don't believe this," I gaped.

He smirked at my reaction. "Start believing. That's standard pay for young models like yourself."

I glanced from the check, to Kouji, and back to the check again. I had never seen this many digits crammed together on a check before in my life. I suddenly felt the urge to protect this piece of paper with my life.

"Rich people are crazy…" I muttered under my breath.

"Hn?" Kouji glanced at me.

"N-Nothing!" I laughed and put the check safely away in my pocket.

By My Side  
.::**Chapter 3**::.

"Well, here you go. Eat anything you want." Kouji had brought me down to the lounge where a huge buffet was staring us in the face. There was every type of food imaginable on the spread and it consisted of all top class selections. The scent coming from the table was tantalizing. A bunch of assistants and photographers were sitting at tables and chatting with each other.

One of the assistants, a middle aged man named Sako, stood beside us with a cup of coffee in one hand. "Hey, boss! Uh…what's wrong…with her?"

Kouji followed his stare over to me.

"Izumi, are you crying!?"

I sniffed, gazing at the food. "It's so beautiful…"

Sako failed at holding back a laugh.

Kouji shook his head. "You'd think she'd be used to stuff like this by now."

I felt a line of drool slide down my cheek. "Can I eat, Kouji?"

"Go ahead. You don't have to ask, dummy."

I would call him on that later, but right now, I just wanted the food. I grabbed a plate and made my crusade down the buffet line, filling my plate to the brim with delicious snacks. I'm a girl who loves her food. I was about to ask Kouji where he wanted to sit, but I noticed that he was discussing something with Sako. I sat down at an empty table with my plate of food, popping a brownie in my mouth as I waited patiently for him to come over and join me. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I watched Kouji's expression turn considerably serious before he left the room in a hurry. Suddenly food seemed less important.

I dashed over to Sako and grabbed his sleeve. "Hey, where did Kouji go? Why did he look angry?"

Sako glared down at me and slapped my hand away. "Don't touch me, you idiot. It's your fault things have turned out this way."

I overlooked the fact that he suddenly switched personalities after Kouji left, and instead searched for the meaning behind his words. "I don't understand."

He snorted bitterly. "Like hell you don't. Because of you, his reputation is in the toilet right now and he has to speak with the President about it."

I felt my body go numb. Because of…me?

Sako pushed me out of the way and left me standing in the middle of the room. It was suddenly quiet as I felt the eyes of everyone in the room on me. I could hear bits and pieces of hushed conversations.

"Oh my, isn't that the WING model?" One girl whispered to her friend.

"I heard she's a newb. And that she takes terrible pictures," A man whispered to his colleague.

Another whisper. "Poor Kouji. Apparently WING has been giving him a hard time about it."

"Not just WING," a girl whispered back, "critics are saying he's lost his 'touch'."

My fists clenched at my sides and I started to shake with anger. I needed to find where Kouji went. Right away. I ran out of the room, slamming the door behind me, and proceeded to take the nearest elevator. The map on the wall indicated that the main suite was located on the twelfth floor; I figured that had to be where Kouji was. I was getting frustrated as I punched in the correct buttons for the elevator.

Did Kouji know about this? Had he been hiding it from me all this time?

The elevator opened and I stepped through, surveying my surroundings. There was a light on in the room at the end of the hallway. I crouched just outside the door to listen for voices.

"What are you talking about? You can't blame this all on Izumi!" Kouji's stern voice cut in.

"Then who shall we blame it on? _You?_" This time it was a woman's voice, and she laughed before continuing, "Kouji, dear, you don't have to stick up for her. She's just not cut out for this type of work."

"Maybe it seems that way to you, but she just needs some time. I promise she'll do better," Kouji retorted.

The woman's voice turned dangerously low as she said, "You don't have time. This magazine hits the public in three days, and the prints have to be sent to WING tomorrow night."

"Do I have another chance or not?" Kouji growled.

It was silent for a moment until the woman sighed. "Fine. Izumi had better show significant improvement or she's fired."

"Thank you."

I heard footsteps heading in my direction and Kouji pushing the door open. I stood up quickly to avoid the impact of the door as he shut it behind himself. He noticed me standing off to the side.

"Izumi? What are you doing?"

I didn't answer. I didn't really know what to say.

His eyes lowered. "You heard all that, didn't you?"

I nodded silently.

"Come with me." Before I could protest, he grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hallway, leading me into a vacant office room before locking the door behind us. He ran a hand through his dark hair and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Listen, about what she said—"

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

I fought back the urge to cry out pathetically. "Your reputation has been suffering because of me."

Kouji's eyes narrowed. "Who told you that?"

"Does it matter?" I bit my lip. Hard. "_You_ should have told me! I would have quit in a second if I had known things were this bad!"

"I don't want to lose you!" He yelled back at me.

Silence.

My mouth wouldn't work right for a few seconds. "You…don't?"

Kouji crossed his arms and turned his head away. "I think I've made it perfectly clear already that I want you by my side." My cheeks flared red at that statement, but he quickly caught himself. "A-As a business partner, I mean."

I nodded. Right. A business partner. I didn't want it to be anything more than that. After all, I still hadn't gotten over Takuya yet…right?

"Here's the deal," Kouji tugged my hand forward and we both sat on the small couch in the office, "I don't give a damn what other people say about you or about me. So your first project sucked. It happens. If you're willing to improve, I can help you." He leaned in closer as his gaze bore into mine. "The question is, are you going to bow out gracefully now, or are you going to keep trying?"

I thought long and hard about my answer. My motive hadn't changed. I still wanted to prove to Takuya that I could be a beautiful girl. The only difference now was that I wasn't going to change my personality to accomplish my goal. And I realized how that untouched reality had been holding me back. I was trying to be something I'm not. I could change how I acted, but I could never change what made me Izumi Orimoto.

So I just smirked at my dark-eyed photographer and said, "I think you know the answer to that."

x x x

"Are you ready, Izumi?" Kouji was behind me, and his hand on my shoulder provided a much needed comfort.

I breathed in deeply. "I hope so."

He gave me a thumbs up. "You'll do fine. Just don't embarrass us in there."

I glared and socked him on the shoulder. "Not helping."

Three days had passed since my conversation with Kouji in the office. I had finished the photo shoot that same night with flying colors. The photographers were stunned speechless at my sudden switch in performance, but they sent the prints out to WING and the magazine was published.

I was currently standing with Kouji and Arisa outside one of the rooms at a radio studio, waiting for my entrance. It had been a request by the studio personally to have me come on one of the shows to discuss the magazine and my future plans as a WING model. A man with a bulky headset poked his head through the door.

"Okay! You're on in 5…4…3…"

He hurried me into the cramped studio room and sat me down in the chair that was across from the host. Then he handed me a pair of headphones to put on my head. The host was a guy in his late twenties, with blond highlights, sunglasses, and a muscular build. He wore a black tank top with the logo for the station on the front. Kouji and Arisa were allowed to watch outside from a large glass window on the wall.

"2…1..." The assistant made a hand gesture to the host to signal that we were live.

"Yo, everyone! This is Star Talk in the Morning with your host, DJ Rick." He pushed a button, and it generated an applause sound effect. "Our guest today deserves some spotlight! She's 15 and just made her debut as a model in WING's _Snow Angel_ magazine!" He looked over at me and I knew it was my cue. "Introduce yourself!"

I gulped. "Hi. I'm Izumi Orimoto."

"Aw, don't be shy!" DJ Rick slapped a copy of the _Snow Angel_ magazine on the desk in front of us. "So tell us, Izumi, what was it like working on this job of yours?"

I glanced at Kouji through the window and he nodded at me. "Well, to be honest, it was a lot of hard work."

DJ Rick kicked his feet up on the soundboard and poked at the dancing hula girl toy on his desk. He couldn't care less about any of it. Funny, because he could make it sound just the opposite. "I'm sure it was. This cover picture looks fantastic." He smirked, then. "It's weird, though, because there was a rumor going around that your photographer, Kouji Minamoto, has hit a dead end in his career. Have any comments about that?"

Without thinking, I slammed my hands down on the desk. How dare he mention something like that to the public! And it wasn't even true!

I noticed Kouji banging on the window out of the corner of my eye, and when I glanced over at him, he shook his head. He didn't want me to say anything.

Sorry Kouji, I thought to myself, but I can't listen to you this time.

My bangs cast a shadow on my face as I stood up abruptly and grabbed the microphone. "Yes, actually, I do have something to say about that." I sucked in a deep breath and shouted, "Kouji Minamoto is a kick ass photographer and a great person! He doesn't deserve to have unfair rumors spread about him, so knock it off!" I huffed and everyone stared at me in shock. "Or you'll have to answer to me, Izumi Orimoto!"

I flung the microphone back at DJ Rick and hoped badly that it hit him in the face. I slammed the door to the studio behind me and stomped past Kouji and Arisa. It took them a minute to register that I had passed by. Kouji grabbed my shoulder and spun me around to face him.

The tear that had leaked from the corner of my eye landed on my shirt.

"Izumi…"

"It's nothing. I'm just angry." I sniffed and wiped my blurry eyes.

Then he did something that surprised me. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a hug.

"Thanks, Izumi. You didn't have to do that." His hot breath settled in my hair and I calmed down.

For the first time, I didn't want to push someone away for hugging me. It felt good to be in his arms.

"Sure I did," I said softly. "You're my partner."

x x x

_Next time: Izumi starts to become popular with the public._

_Review!_


	4. An improvement

_I come bearing an update! I know it's been almost a week since my last chapter was posted, but school has been so stressful. Reading your reviews cheers me up, though, so keep it up and thank you! For klara-kind: Thanks for your suggestion, but I actually used that word on purpose! ^^ I wanted to show that Izumi still has her tomboy tendencies, but that she's slowly changing. I feel like I should add another disclaimer, so here goes! I don't own Digimon; only this story. Enjoy!_

x x x

Flash.

"Ms. Orimoto, look this way!" A female reporter called.

Flash. Flash.

"I bought your magazine, Izumi!" A girl from the sidelines gushed, "I thought you were awesome on the radio!"

Amazing. I step outside the store for two seconds and the crowd closes in.

"Izumi!" Suddenly a microphone was shoved at my face by a newscaster. "How does it feel to be the newest sensation around?"

My heart thumped in my chest as more and more people surrounded me, bombarding me with questions and requests for autographs. This was my first time dealing with a crowd alone, and I was unprepared.

My interview on the radio two weeks ago had caused quite a commotion with the public. A good one, believe it or not. As soon as the _Snow Angel_ magazine went on sale in stores, it sold out within a day. Everybody wanted to know what I looked like. I'm not complaining about that; fame is what I've been striving towards and I wanted the magazine to sell well.

No. What I'm complaining about is the lack of privacy that comes with popularity.

Apparently, someone had spotted me leaving the coffee shop I was just in and made a big ordeal about it. The scene didn't go unnoticed by the nearby reporters; they jumped at the chance to ask me questions about the magazine while snapping pictures. All of these people pushing and shoving to get to me set off a nerve. I tried to push my way through, but I felt as small as a pebble in this sea of fans. Over the past two weeks, Kouji had accompanied me home to keep the paparazzi at bay, but I had work off today, so I was by myself. I sucked in a deep breath.

Honestly, I felt scared. This was a little too much for me to handle.

Then someone starting shouting, and I looked ahead to see the crowd separating down the middle. I recognized the shouter's voice instantly.

"Move out of the way, I need to get over there!" Kouji sounded annoyed as he shoved people out of his way to reach my side.

"Kouji!" I ran to him with a huge grin of relief.

He grabbed my hand and turned to everyone else with a dark look. "You all need to take one giant step away from Izumi. _Now_."

They didn't budge. Everyone just stared at him.

"Are you her boyfriend or something?" A small girl with pigtails yelled.

"No, that's her photographer, Kouji Minamoto!" Some newscaster shouted.

"Mr. Minamoto, do you have any comments for our magazine?" The reporters were closing in on their target again.

Kouji leaned to me and whispered, "Time to leave."

"Yeah."

He pulled me along as we made a mad dash for the outside of the circle. I braced myself and only bumped into a few people along the way. We ran along the sidewalk for a block, then took a sharp turn, hoping to lead any pursuers off our trail. A couple people passed us with confused expressions, but they eventually gave up the chase. I sighed in relief and Kouji leaned against a wall to catch his breath.

"Thanks for helping me out, Kouji. That was pretty crazy."

He released my hand, and the empty space where his hand had been turned cold.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad I was nearby when it happened," He replied.

I cocked my head to the side, "Nearby?"

Kouji laughed. "Yeah. I was at the bookstore across the street when I heard that girl scream your name."

"I can't even buy a coffee without being attacked by cameras these days," I bit my bottom lip.

"Hey, the only one who should be taking pictures of you is me," Kouji leaned next to me by the wall, "I need to teach those reporters a lesson."

"Careful," I smirked, "your glare alone could kill lesser men."

We walked alongside the road for a while just talking, and I was happy to have the company.

Still, I couldn't shake the nagging feeling in the back of my mind.

By My Side  
.::**Chapter 4**::.

"Kouji!" I called, opening the door to the office room Arisa told me he'd be in. "I need your help!"

"With what?"

He was sitting on the couch in the corner; his raven hair pulled into the usual ponytail minus the bandana, and he was wearing his usual dark blue and yellow outfit. If I hadn't been staring, I wouldn't have noticed the small pair of reading glasses on his face. They made him look sophisticated and…well, hot. He seemed confused at my sudden silence and my cheeks flared red.

"I-I didn't know you wore glasses," I couldn't look him in the face, so I stared at the wallpaper.

He blinked and pulled them off his face slowly. "I only use them occasionally for reading."

I felt so embarrassed. Why was my heart beating so fast? "You…like to read?"

"Izumi," He lowered his book and glasses on the table in front of him, "Didn't you say you needed my help with something?"

"Oh yeah!" I shook the nervous feeling away and pulled out two necklaces from my pocket. "We can't decide which necklace would be better for the shoot." One had a long gold chain with a ruby stone dangling off the end and the other had a silver chain with a few emeralds attached.

Kouji reached out and touched the gold chain. "The ruby matches better. Go with that one."

"Okay." I avoided his gaze while I dropped the necklaces back in my pocket.

It was silent for a moment before I heard his feet shuffle and he was standing next to me. His fingers cupped my chin and forced me to look in his direction. My heartbeat quickened and I wondered if he could hear it thumping against my chest.

"Izumi?" I noticed he seemed kind of angry. "Why won't you look at me?"

I had the urge to slap his hand away, but I fought it. Settle down, Izumi! Act civilized for once!

BANG! The door burst open.

We both glanced at the door to see Arisa passing through in a huff. Her usual bouncy red curls were a mess and she was glaring at me.

"Izumi, I sent you up here _twenty_ minutes ago!" She frowned, "How long does it take to choose a necklace? I can't believe I had to make a special trip to come get you!"

Then she saw the way we were standing, and her expression changed. "Oh my—!"

Kouji slapped a hand over her mouth. "Calm down, Arisa. Don't jump to conclusions."

She peeled his hand off with considerable effort and went back to glaring. "Whatever, I don't have time for this!" She focused her attention back to me. "You're needed in photo room 205 right now. Let's go!"

Arisa forcibly moved me away from Kouji and out the door. I waved as a last resort, but just before the door closed I noticed a worried expression on Kouji's face. What was going on with him? That nagging feeling was back again.

x x x

After the photo shoot was over, I made a break for the bathroom. Five hours in a secluded room with only water to drink had got me feeling kind of nauseous. I turned on the sink and splashed a handful of cold water against my face, hoping to relieve the sick feeling in my nerves. It helped a lot, and I dried my face with a paper towel.

I left the bathroom when I finished, and started my trek back to the photo room. I wasn't paying attention and I accidentally bumped in to someone.

"Ah, sorry about that—" When I caught sight of the roadblock, my eyes widened. Kouji? Where was he going in such a hurry?

He turned back around quickly and left me without saying a word.

That was weird.

Just then, Kouji ran over to me breathing heavily. My eyes did a double take. What the heck just happened?

"Are you alright?" He asked, trying to catch his breath. Did he follow me to see how I was doing? That was nice.

"I'm fine, it was probably just the sushi I ate at lunch. But…I thought you just passed me—"

"About your pictures," Kouji cut in. He slung his camera strap off his shoulders and clicked through the stored images, "You can go home if you want to. We actually got a lot of good shots today."

"Really?" I smiled in relief. That was good news. It seemed like I had been improving every day, and that made me really happy.

Kouji nodded. "Do you want me to take you home?"

"No, I can just catch a taxi—" I stopped myself and thought back at the mob scene outside the coffee shop, "come to think of it, maybe I should take you up on that offer."

"Izumi!" Arisa scrambled up to us then, waving her arms to get my attention. Her bouncy red curls were back in tact, but she looked flushed. "Before you go…the President just returned from an overseas business trip and she wants to see you right away!"

Kouji flinched beside me.

"The President of Minamoto Agency?" I beamed. "I finally get to meet her?" I had been waiting for this day for a long time. After all, the President was the woman behind the whole operation…and Mrs. Minamoto was Kouji's stepmother as well.

I glanced over at him, but he seemed frozen. I frowned.

"Kouji?"

"Izumi," He looked over at me, "You trust me, right?"

The question caught me off guard, but I decided to go along with it. I could tell something was bothering him. "Sure, why?"

His eyes were darker than usual. "Then I forbid you to see the President."

My eyes narrowed. "What? Why would I agree to that?"

"You just have to trust me on this one. I don't want you seeing her."

Arisa sighed.

"No way!" I yelled. "I want to meet her!" Why was he being like this?

"No you don't!" Kouji argued, "She's a terrible woman!"

"Kouji!" Arisa hissed, "Don't speak about your mother that way!"

He fell silent and turned away from us. Arisa stared at him sadly. Was it possible that Kouji hated his stepmother? Was she really a terrible woman? I had to find out for myself.

He must have known she was coming back today, I thought silently, so maybe that's why he's acting this way.

"Please let me go," I told it to his back softly, "The President wants to see me and it would look really bad if I didn't attend the meeting."

I saw his fist clench at his side. "I'm going with you."

"She's down in the conference room," Arisa offered quietly.

x x x

Kouji kept me behind him as we entered the conference room. A black haired woman, the President, was waiting for us in a large leather chair. A man wearing a business suit and sunglasses stood next to her with a straight look on his face. I assumed he was a bodyguard or something.

Mrs. Minamoto leaned forward in her chair with an unreadable expression. "Kouji, dear, I don't believe I invited you to this meeting. So why are you here?"

Kouji didn't respond, he just gave her an icy look.

She glanced at me, then back at Kouji. Her lips curled into an unsettling smile. "I see. One moment, please." She turned to her bodyguard and said, "Hideki, you are dismissed until the meeting is over. I would like to speak with these two alone."

"Yes, Mrs. Minamoto." Hideki bowed and exited the room.

She turned back to us, the smile still adorning her features. "You can let her go now, Kouji. I won't bite." Her tone said otherwise.

Kouji was being stubborn, so I stepped in front of him and bowed. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Minamoto."

"Please, call me Satomi." She folded her hands as she leaned back in her chair. I thought it would be rude if I called her by her first name. "I apologize we couldn't meet sooner, Izumi. You see, I've been away on an extended business trip."

I shook my head. "No need to apologize. You can't help that."

Her answering laugh was musical. "No, I can't. But I heard good things while I was gone."

"Did you?" I asked, intrigued. Kouji folded his arms.

"Oh yes," Mrs. Minamoto pulled out a copy of the _Snow Angel_ magazine. "I heard that this magazine featuring the new WING model we hired has already sold out. And that said model became very popular after her debut radio broadcast."

I gulped and rubbed my arm nervously. "Um, about that…I'm sorry—"

"Normally," She cut in, "I would have to reprimand an employee for such behavior. But, seeing as how it actually _gained_ you popularity, I'm letting it go."

Kouji let out a sigh. I think it was relief.

The President continued, "We need our magazines to keep selling as well as _Snow Angel_." She stared straight into my eyes and said, "I just wanted to say keep up the good work."

I sighed in relief as well. This had been a fairly civilized conversation from my point of view. I didn't understand what Kouji had been so upset about.

"Before I dismiss you," Mrs. Minamoto started, spinning in her chair so she faced the doorway, "I need to introduce you to someone. He was also on a business trip, so that's why you didn't meet him sooner. Come in, dear." She motioned towards the door and a boy walked inside.

My eyes widened. I was seeing double.

The boy looked exactly like Kouji, only a bit younger, with shorter hair and a lighter eye color. He walked over to Kouji's side and draped an arm over his back playfully.

"Hey bro," The boy grinned.

Mrs. Minamoto had that eerie smile on her face once again. "Izumi, I'd like you to meet your new co-model – Kouichi."

x x x

_Next time: Kouichi joins the WING team. Is Kouji a little jealous?_

_Review! You know you want to._


	5. A brother

_It's been ages since my last update and I'm so sorry for that! OTL;; To say that time caught up with me would be an understatement. I'm so glad that you guys don't seem to mind that Kouji is a tad OOC. I mean, this story would have been much harder to make if I didn't stretch his personality a bit. (Kouji: D:) __Uchiha-Kirara__: If I had the talent to make this a manga, I so would. Enjoy~_

x x x

I just stared at Mrs. Minamoto blankly, because words were failing me at the moment. I wasn't sure if it was because I had a new partner to work with, or that fact that he was a spitting image of Kouji that had me in shock. Maybe both. Luckily, Kouji handled the talking.

He untangled himself from his brother's grip and directed his attention towards his mother. "What's the meaning of this?"

Mrs. Minamoto gave him a sweet little smile and rested her cheeks in her hands. "The _meaning_ is our new magazine theme. I call it…_Forbidden Spring_. It's going to feature clothes for guys as well as girls, so I need a cute couple to show them off." She shot a quick glance at me and continued with a sigh, "Besides, my darling son needed a new job since his photo shoot in Maui got cancelled."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Kouji asked, frustrated. "I need advance notice if I'm going to include two models."

"I think surprises are fun." Mrs. Minamoto's eyes gleamed; I could tell she thought it was amusing. "Why don't the models introduce themselves to each other?"

Kouichi held back where he was, waiting to judge my reaction first. I didn't want things to start out awkward between us, so I held out my hand to him. I went with a polite greeting.

"I'm Izumi. I look forward to working with you."

Kouichi shook my hand and smiled brightly. "I'm Kouichi – Kouji's older brother. I'm glad I get to work with such a cute girl."

My heart skipped a beat. I pulled my hand away and held it to my chest, embarrassed.

_What are you getting so worked up over?_ I asked myself. _It's just a compliment. He was being polite._

_So don't say it using Kouji's face!_ Another part of me screamed.

"Are you ok, Izumi?" Kouichi leaned down to study my expression, his face inches apart from mine.

"Whoa!" I blurted out and fell back a step, holding my arms up in a makeshift shield.

"You dolt," Kouji frowned at his brother, grabbing the collar of his shirt to pull him back, "you're lucky she didn't accidentally punch you in the jaw. Give her some space."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"So she gets nervous around guys?" Kouichi asked. "That's cute."

My head snapped up. "Ah – what? No! It's just—"

"Oh, I understand," Kouichi closed his eyes and nodded, "You're overwhelmed by my presence. Kouji and I both know that I'm the better looking twin," he finished jokingly.

Kouji smirked. "You wish."

I laughed, despite the fact that they were poking fun at me. Hey wait—

"I'm pleased that you're all friends now," Mrs. Minamoto cut in; I had forgotten that she was still in the room, "but you have a photo shoot to plan. Get going."

Kouji ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "I guess the three of us will be working together for a while. Try not to make it too painful for me."

Wonderful pep talk.

I saw Kouichi glance at us briefly out of the corner of my eye. Did he just smirk?

By My Side  
.::**Chapter 5**::.

"Izumi, you're too stiff. Try to relax," The director sighed from his chair.

That was like telling water not to be wet.

We were outside in the sunshine and warm weather – director's request – taking pictures for the _Forbidden Spring_ magazine. I was laying on the grass in my floral patterned dress, which was fine and dandy, until they had Kouichi come over and lean next to me. He was supposed to lean in close, as if to give me a kiss, and hand me a daisy.

I relaxed my muscles to the best of my ability, praying silently that he couldn't hear the loud thumping of my heartbeat. He was too close…_way_ too close…

"Kouichi," Kouji cut in, glaring. "You're too close."

I smiled gratefully to Kouji. It seemed like he could read my mind lately.

Suddenly, Kouichi tackled me into a hug. I squealed as he peered at Kouji over the top of my head.

"Why does it matter?" Kouichi smirked, hugging me tighter. "We look more like a couple this way."

"Lay off," Kouji snapped at him, "she's uncomfortable."

The director must have felt the tension emerging, because he interrupted with, "Why don't we just move on to the next pose?"

The next pose required two people to help set up. One of the assistants had tied a white swing to a tree branch where I was supposed to sit. It was up pretty high since they wanted me to pick an apple and pretend to eat it. They had me wear light kakis for this so I wouldn't have to worry about the position of my legs. Kouji and Kouichi volunteered to help me up onto the swing, both of them gripping one of my arms to lift me up. I was almost in reach of the rope handles when I heard Kouji say something to his brother.

"You need to take this seriously," he whispered, "stop flirting with Izumi and do your job."

"I _am_ taking this job seriously," Kouichi shot back, "as her boyfriend."

"You're not actually a couple," Kouji growled.

"Things change."

"You two had better not drop me!" I shouted. They were wobbling me back and forth and it was hard to get a good grip on the swing. "Just help me up already!"

Once I was safely on the swing, the shoot resumed. Kouichi came up behind me and wound his arm around my waist, twirling a strand of my hair in his finger while I pretended to take a bite out of the apple.

After about five seconds, Kouji lowered his camera and stood up. "I think we should take a break now."

The director raised an eyebrow, but shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not. Be back here in a half an hour, everybody."

I blinked. It seemed like Kouji was in a bad mood for some reason. Had I done something wrong?

Oh, well. A break was a break, and I had planned to visit the café across the street for quite some time now. I went to hop off the swing and land gracefully on the grass, but unfortunately, gravity had other plans for me. My left knee buckled and I went sprawling forward to the earth below me.

"AH—"

I expected to hit the ground with a painful smack, but it never happened. I exhaled the breath that had caught in my throat and slowly opened my eyes to reveal a blue sweatshirt.

"Are you alright, Izumi?" Kouji asked, his eyes glancing across my body to see if I had gotten hurt. It didn't even register that he was holding me in his arms until I felt my cheeks turn hot. Our eyes met and locked on to each other's for the longest moment.

"I-I'm okay!" I stood up finally and brushed myself off to show him that it was true. "Thanks for catching me."

"Mhm," he sighed and ruffled my hair. "Just be more careful." An assistant called him over and he went to help with the cameras.

"Right…" I touched the spot where his hand had been and smiled to myself. His skin was always so warm…

"Oh! That reminds me! I wanted to try that new flavor of coffee at the café," I said aloud.

"Can I come with you?" Kouichi came up behind me and I jumped in surprise.

"Only if you treat," I laughed.

x x x

"So…you and Kouji don't really get along well, do you?"

I flipped open my cell phone to see if I had any messages, then closed it. I took a sip of my 'Caramel Delight' coffee and waited for Kouichi to answer. The café was bustling with activity, and it was kind of hard to focus with all of the people around.

The question must have caught him off guard, because he blinked and lowered his coffee to the table.

"No…it's not like that," I didn't comment, so he continued, "we're just overly competitive with each other."

"Oh. So it's not that you hate him or anything," I drank some more coffee, and this time I got a big wad of caramel with it.

"Are you kidding? I love my brother," Kouichi laughed and glanced out the window, across the street. "It's all in good sport. He pushes me to reach my goals, and I push him back."

"Goals?" I questioned.

"Yeah. Kouji wants to become the best photographer in the country and I want to become an international model."

"That's great," I smiled. It was nice to learn something about Kouji that I hadn't known. "I guess I can't relate with that kind of bond, though; I don't have any siblings."

"No?" Kouichi titled his head slightly.

"Nope. It's just me." I opened my phone under the table and glanced at the screen. No new messages.

"What are you doing?" Kouichi leaned over the table to see what I was holding. I snapped my phone shut.

"Um…just...checking my messages," I replied quietly.

"Are you expecting a call?"

"No…just hoping someone would text me. It's nothing." Stupid Takuya. He hadn't even bothered to contact me since that day in the park. I was still waiting for him to congratulate me on my job. The whole reason I got into modeling in the first place was to get him to notice me as a girl. I sighed.

Kouichi glanced at his watch. "Time's up. We should head back now."

x x x

"Wardrobe…wardrobe…ward—ah! Here it is." I pulled out the heavy cardboard box in the supply closet that was labeled in black ink for tomorrow's wardrobe change. The outdoors shoot was over for the day, and Arisa had asked me afterwards to drop the box off in her office. I rolled up my sleeves and bent down to pick it up.

"Hey, Izumi! Need some help?" Kouichi popped his head into the closet and I was startled once again.

"Kouichi! Don't sneak up on me like that!" I gasped. He had to stop doing that.

"Sorry." He stepped over and held up the other side of the box for me. "Here, I'll help you."

"Thanks." The weight of the box was a lot easier to manage with two people. We side-stepped to get out the door, but the box started to wobble. "Wait—"

Too late.

The box came crashing down, knocking Kouichi and me down with it. I landed on top of him, and he grunted in pain.

"Oww, that's gonna leave a bruise." He rubbed his head and touched my shoulder. "Izumi, are you—"

When I looked up to see what was the matter, I noticed our position. We were on the floor, I was straddling him, and our noses were centimeters from touching. To anyone else, it might have looked like we were kissing.

And that's probably what it looked like to the girl who walked in at that moment.

"Oh my gosh!" She shrieked.

x x x

_Next time: The new girl threatens to spill Izumi's mishap to Kouji. Who is she exactly? _

This is a Kouzumi fic, I promise. xD

Reviews to me are like caffeine to a college student. So review!


	6. A rival

_Update time! I'm so excited for these next couple of chapters; they should be really good. So, I hope you keep letting me know what you think of each chapter! Also, I wanted to ask you guys a question: would you prefer it if I used the name 'Izumi' instead of 'Zoe'? Even though I grew up watching the American version, I can change it if the majority of you would rather read her Japanese name. Happy Reading~_

x x x

Her cherry flavored lollipop smashed to pieces as it hit the floor.

I turned my head to the doorway, where a young girl stood frozen in place. Her curly black hair was pulled into two pigtails, and she wore a yellow babydoll dress, which now had a red stain on it from the lollipop. I didn't recognize her as an employee, but a Minamoto Studio Pass dangled from a cord around her neck.

"I'm sorry," she blurted quickly and took a few steps back, "I didn't know anyone was in here—"

"Wait a second!" I called, stopping her in her tracks. It came out a lot harsher than I intended, but that was probably due to the fact that Kouichi and I were trying to untangle ourselves from the awkward position. I stood up and cleared my throat, silently willing my cheeks to revert back to their normal color.

Thank god for dim lighting.

"I should probably go…" The girl muttered and turned to leave.

"Hold on!" I yelled, grabbing her shoulder. I suddenly felt extremely guilty, and I wasn't about to let this girl go without an explanation. "Okay, I know this sounds totally cliché, but…that wasn't what it looked like. He was helping me lift a heavy package and we tripped. _Please_ don't get the wrong idea."

The girl glanced over at Kouichi for confirmation, and he nodded.

"Uh-huh." She rolled her eyes as if she didn't believe our story. "Look, you don't have to lie to m—OH MY GOD!"

I reeled back at her high pitched shriek.

"What?" I asked, annoyed that my ears were now ringing.

"Izumi Orimoto! You're _the_ Izumi Orimoto from WING!" She locked my hands in a death grip and bounced on her toes happily. "I can't believe I'm meeting you in person! My name is Kanon. I'm a HUGE fan of yours!"

"Oh…well, it's always nice to meet a fan…" I laughed nervously and shot an S.O.S. glance at Kouichi. He got the picture and gently separated Kanon's hands from mine, moving to step in between us.

"Little girls shouldn't wander around here unattended," he said softly, patting her on the head. "Let's take you back to your mommy. She must be worried."

Kanon shot him a glare so fierce that my skin prickled afterwards.

"How _dare_ you address me using that tone," she seethed, grabbing the collar of his shirt with both of her fists. "Just how old do you think I _am_?"

Kouichi was too stunned to come up with a valid reply.

I blinked in disbelief. Was this the same girl from a minute ago?

Kanon was about to land a swing at poor Kouichi when a hand reached out and pulled her off her feet. A tall…a _very_ tall man in a gray business suit with a shaved head and dark black sunglasses hauled the girl up onto his broad shoulders.

"No, don't touch me!" Kanon let out an aggravated wail. "Put me down this instant!"

_Oh crap!_ I thought to myself. _She's being kidnapped!_

I opened my mouth to scream for help, but then I remembered that everyone had gone home for the night. This was bad.

"Let go of her!" Kouichi shouted, preparing his stance to defend against this new threat. "Who are you?"

The man laughed, a deep bellow that echoed through the hallway.

Kouichi and I glanced at each other, confusion spread across our faces.

"Relax children," the tall man replied, "I'm Miss Kanon's bodyguard."

Immediately Kanon stopped flailing in his arms. "Haru! Go away, I need to teach this pretty boy a lesson!"

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Miss." Haru turned to Kouichi and me, bowing respectfully. "Sorry for the trouble. We'll be leaving now."

"Arrrgh!" Kanon glared at Kouichi over her shoulder. "You'll pay for this, Kouichi!"

I relaxed when the two were out of sight.

"Are you alright?" I asked Kouichi, and he nodded.

"Yeah…but who was that girl? And how did she know my name?"

Something told me that we would find out soon enough.

By My Side  
.::**Chapter 6**::.

"Kanon Misaki," Kouji sighed, leaning back in his chair.

It was the morning after the supply closet incident, and Kouji and I were sitting in his office, on break. I had informed Kouji about the strange girl, but left out the part preceding her entrance. I felt unreasonably guilty about the whole thing.

"You know her?" I questioned in surprise.

"Mm, actually…" He ran a hand through his hair and sunk down in his seat. "She's new to the business."

My mouth fell open very impolitely. "Whaaaat? That little girl is a _model_?"

Kouji's lips curled into a smirk. "She's not that little. In fact, she's only a year younger than you."

THAT had to be a lie.

"She looks like she's ten years old!"

"Her managers make her dress like a child on purpose," Kouji explained, obviously enjoying my dumbfounded expression. "You know, to appeal to younger audiences. I don't know why, but Kanon's popularity is rising."

"She can pull it off well," I offered. She had certainly fooled me.

Kouji shrugged. "I guess so. It suits her personality."

"Except when she's mad," I laughed. "You should have seen her when Kouichi—"

"—Kouichi was with you?" Kouji cut in before I had a chance to think.

I closed my mouth.

"Izumi?" Kouji's expression darkened.

"Yeah, he was helping me carry the wardrobe box to Arisa's office. During closing time," I replied cautiously.

"Why was he there so late?" Kouji frowned. "He usually leaves right away."

It was my turn to shrug. "Who knows? Why was Kanon there either?" And then something clicked inside my head. "Hey wait! Kanon knew Kouichi's name. Have they met before?"

"Not that I know of. Kanon is fairly new, like I said."

"What is going on?" I wondered.

Arisa's voice crackled on the intercom. "_Kouji? Mrs. Minamoto wants to speak with you. Should I connect her?_"

"Go ahead," Kouji said flatly.

There was a short beeping noise, and then Arisa's voice was replaced by Mrs. Minamoto's. "_Kouji dear, are you doing well?_"

"What's this about?" He wasted no time in getting to the point.

Mrs. Minamoto gave a dramatic sigh. "_Oh, don't be so stingy. Fine. Izumi is with you, right?_"

Kouji glanced over at me, and I nodded.

"Yeah, she is."

"_Wonderful! Then I'll only have to explain this once."_ We didn't comment, so she continued, "_The Misaki Company is a very important business affiliate to our agency. One of their own – Kanon, I believe – just made her debut as a model. I allowed her to take a tour of the agency yesterday because their company has asked us to host a promotional event for publicity._"

Kouji glared at the monitor. "What did you have in mind," he said through his teeth.

"_Just a little friendly competition. JM's new model, Kanon, against WING's model, Izumi, for the grand prize of a cover photo in Mirage_."

"That's the current leading fashion magazine!" I yelled.

That's right, I do my research.

Kouji shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Mrs. Minamoto gave a feathery laugh that told me she cared little about his comment. "_It would benefit both companies immensely. In other words…I'm not giving her a choice."_

I locked gazes with Kouji.

"_May the best model win,"_ Mrs. Minamoto chimed, then the signal cut off.

x x x

I tapped my foot on the ground impatiently, waiting for Kanon and her crew to arrive. While we had been in the office chatting with Mrs. Minamoto, the employees had transformed the main lobby into a stage. White banners and balloons were placed all over the room, and the chandeliers were lit up and sparkling. The guys were dressed in black suits and ties, and the ladies were clad in little black dresses and diamonds.

How long had we been talking for?

"Heeey, Izumi!" Arisa popped up behind me, nearly giving me a heart attack. "How are you doing?"

"I'm managing," I said truthfully. My heart was beating a mile a minute thanks to her sudden sneak attack. "What's with the formal attire?"

Arisa was also wearing a dress; a black halter that flowed to her ankles. Her hair was pulled up into a neat bun and a diamond necklace hung delicately around her neck. She smiled.

"This event is going to be covered on three news channels," she said sweetly, as if I was oblivious to that fact. "We want to create a positive impression of the agency, so everyone is dressing in their finest clothes."

Rich people. I rolled my eyes.

"Anyway…" I exhaled deeply, hoping to calm my nerves. "What's the theme of the competition?"

Arisa snatched her clipboard away when I tried to take a peek. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. That wouldn't be fair to the other model."

Great. So I was diving into this blindly.

Arisa's watch beeped twice and her eyes widened. "Oh, we have to go down there! Our guests have arrived!"

The two of us scrambled down the stairs to the front lobby, where Kouji, Mrs. Minamoto, and the other employees were waiting. Kanon strolled in through the entryway, followed by an ensemble of workers from Misaki Company, including Haru. She looked beautiful. Her wavy black hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and she wore a ruby colored dress with a black bow around the waist. Her diamond earrings glittered in the light.

I suddenly felt out of place in my purple t-shirt and jeans.

Kanon greeted Mrs. Minamoto first, shaking her hand with a bright smile. Then she trotted to my side, staring up at me with shiny eyes.

"It's so good to see you again, Izumi!" She took my hands in hers and squeezed them. "Let's do our best today!"

"Sure."

Kouji walked over to us with his hands in his pockets. I couldn't hold back the slight blush that arose on my cheeks. He looked incredibly handsome in his slick suit, although I wondered when he had found the time to change. He stood next to me, and regarded Kanon with a nod.

Kanon looked between the two of us, her lips curling into a small grin. She jumped and wrapped her arms around Kouji's neck, her tiny legs rising behind her.

"Kou-chan!" She squealed happily. "You're going to watch me today, right?"

A sharp feeling tore through my gut. _That's right_, I reminded myself, _Kouji is famous. Of course he has connections with other models._ And as I watched Kouji return the gesture and strike up a conversation with her, the sharpness surfaced again and again. I wanted to rip Kanon out of his arms and hide Kouji from all the other pretty girls in the room.

And then came the unwanted realization.

I was jealous.

I clenched my fists at my side, knowing full well it would be inappropriate to shove Kanon away from Kouji. I bit my lip and tried focusing my attention elsewhere.

_I don't like this feeling_, I confessed to myself.

"Hey, Kouji, can you help me with my tie?"

It was Kouichi. As soon as he entered our small group, the tension in my mind eased. Kouji pulled away from Kanon to go help his brother. Kanon hissed at Kouichi before joining up with me once again. She seemed very unhappy.

"Are you still mad at him?" I asked her, trying to distract myself.

"Of course," she said through her teeth, "but he'll pay for that today."

I gulped, fearing the worst. "How?"

Kanon's eyes shifted to look at me, even though her head was tilted toward the twins. Her smile turned wicked. "I have blackmail on him."

My thoughts drifted to the other day; to the incident in the supply closet. Kanon was still under the impression that Kouichi and I had been making out that night.

She was going to tell Kouji.

I was about to confront her when Arisa hooked her arm through mine and dragged me towards the dressing room.

"Time to start," she announced.

x x x

"I never would have guessed this theme." I directed the comment to Arisa, who stood at the corner of the dressing room while Mona finished my makeup.

"Right. That's because we wanted to try something different." She brought over the purple wig that was part of my outfit and tied back my blond hair. "This event is being sponsored by a toy company, so we thought it would be fitting for you girls to dress like characters from their famous brand." She secured the wig on my head with a few bobby pins and winked in the mirror. "They're called Digimon."

I was impersonating a character named Kazemon. My outfit was a purple two piece set, with matching boots that reached up to my knees, and large white gloves. I also had a purple wig, a pair of cloth fairy wings, and an eye cover that looked like a virtual reality headset. I was able to see through the eye cover when I put it on. The costume was so light, I was able to move around fairly easily.

"You look awesome! I think you lucked out getting Kazemon," Arisa gave me a thumbs up.

The costume was amazing. I did a few kicking moves just for fun. "Which character did Kanon get?"

"Um…" Arisa flipped over a page on her clipboard. "Ranamon, I think."

x x x

Kanon posed for her shoot first.

She was dressed sort of like a fish, with blue garments and green fins. It was strange, but she was able to carry it well. She posed and smiled in front of an ocean backdrop.

I kept my guard up the entire time. No way was I going to let Kanon pull Kouji aside and blab the misunderstanding. So when it was finally my turn to be photographed, I kept my eyes on her.

"Excuse me, can you face this way?" The photographer huffed. I didn't know him, but that was because the agency had hired professionals from other companies to keep the contest fair.

Kouji was in the audience, watching me. He nodded, and I began posing. After a couple of shots, I noticed a striking blue color out of the corner of my eye.

Kanon was making her way over to Kouji.

I panicked. How could I stop her while up on stage?

I inched across the stage as Kanon walked through the crowd.

"Umm, you okay?" The photographer asked, lowering his camera in confusion.

Kanon noticed that I was following alongside the stage, so she quickened her pace. I growled and froze in my tracks. "Kanon!" I shouted, pointing to the blue blur, "I think I should take some pictures with Kanon!" It was the only thing I could think of.

Everyone in the crowd turned to stare at her expectantly. Her lip twitched in annoyance; she was literally two feet from Kouji. The people around her kept staring, waiting for her to make a move. She relented and joined me on stage.

"Yes, why don't we do that?"

x x x

The judges were in a separate room reviewing the individual photos.

I waited with Kouji and Kouichi, scanning the room for Kanon. Out of nowhere, I felt a hand grip my shoulder. I turned to Kouji, surprised to find that I was trembling.

Any minute now we'd find out the winner.

The judges emerged from their secret room, and I was too busy watching them to see Kanon slip past me and over to Kouji.

The judge cleared his throat. "I'm pleased to announce the results of this competition."

"By the way, Kou-chan—" Kanon started whispering.

My head jerked up at the sound of her voice. "_Wait!_"

"—Kouichi broke your iPod!" She finished with a smirk.

"Dammit Kouichi!"

The judge held up a piece of paper, "And the winner is…"

x x x

I threw my bag onto the couch and sunk down into the leather.

"Izumi!" My mom came rushing out of the kitchen to engulf me in a hug. "I'm so proud of you! I can't believe you won the competition!"

"You know about that?" I said, sitting up to return the gesture. Leave it to Mom to know I was home before I even announced it.

"Of course! It's all over the news."

"Huh," I replied lazily. My energy was completely drained from chasing down Kanon all night. Turns out the 'blackmail' against Kouichi was just the missing clue to Kouji's broken iPod mystery.

"Give me a minute, sweetie. I've got to finish the cake I baked you." Mom scurried back to the kitchen, and I kicked off my shoes. I reached for the clicker, hoping to find a decent movie on TV.

It blinked on. "_So Kanon, how do you feel about receiving second place today?"_

I sat up straight. An interview with Kanon?

Sure enough, she was on the screen showing her usual bubbly expression. _"I tried my best, that's all that matters to me."_

The interviewer laughed. "_So, no hard feelings against Ms. Izumi Orimoto?"_

"_Oh not at all! If anything, my loss just proves I need to work harder." _She smiled to the screen. "_Besides, I couldn't have gotten this far without my boyfriend's support. He's the one who inspired me to become a model in the first place. Right, honey?"_

She tugged someone on screen, and my heart stopped at the sight of his face.

Takuya Kanbara.

_And the winner is…Kanon Misaki._

x x x

_Next time: Izumi's mood takes a turn for the worse and Kouji does something unexpected._

So this is probably going to be my only Digimon reference in the story. lol

Don't forget to review on your way out!


	7. A fever

_Here is chapter 7, everyone! Your support has been wonderful so far, and I'd like to thank you for that. I've been reading a lot of books and fanfiction lately, and that's what's been inspiring me to write more for my own story. By the way, in case you haven't noticed, I _did_ end up switching Zoe's name with Izumi. It just seemed better that way. Also, if you want to check it out, I'll be adding another story soon for Chrono Crusade! (That's also why this chap is late). Enjoy!_

x x x

I'll admit, I did cry a little.

The news of Kanon and Takuya's relationship hit me like a ton of bricks – that being an understatement. It also opened my eyes to the fact that, for the past couple of months, I had been blind to the world outside of modeling. It was naïve of me to think that time would freeze for my old life until I was ready to face it again. The same goes for Takuya. Of course he would have moved on by now; would have found another girl he deemed worth dating. And since we never stayed in touch, he probably assumed that I had moved on as well, when really I had been waiting to prove myself to him. As for Kanon, I don't know what to think. Obviously I'm jealous and angry that she stole the subject of my affection, but then I feel bad because I remember that I never had a claim on Takuya in the first place.

_I started this all for you, Takuya… _I thought to myself…_what am I supposed to do now?_

I sighed and reached for a tissue to blow my runny nose, mentally slapping myself for acting so pathetic. I furiously swiped off the stray tears that had collected in the corners of my eyes. The moody teenage attitude was not something I was used to. Or enjoyed. I've been alone in my room ever since the TV program ended, excluding the brief period when my mom forced me out to try a piece of her cake.

The glowing green numbers on the clock read 3:45 a.m. I groaned an pulled the covers over my head, hoping to at least catch a few hours of sleep before work at 7, but knowing full well that it would be impossible. My mind was too scrambled to relax.

Before I knew it, morning reared its ugly head. My mom barged into the room and cracked open the shades until sunlight engulfed every corner. I groaned and flipped the covers forward onto my lap, sending a frosty glare in her direction.

"A face only a mother could love," she sighed, kissing me on the forehead. "Did I wake you?"

Ignoring the obvious question, I squinted at the bright sunlight. "What time is it?"

"Ten after six," she replied calmly, gathering up my laundry as part of her usual morning routine, "you should start to get ready for work."

"Yeah, I know…" I sat up on my mattress, only to feel an enormous pounding in my head. My hands trembled as I rubbed the painful spot to try to ease some of the tension. Mom noticed my position and immediately rushed to my side.

"Are you alright, Izumi?" She asked worriedly, placing her hand on my head. As soon as it touched my skin, she pulled it back with a yelp. "Oh my god, you're burning up!"

"Seriously?" I said while trying to focus on my real mom, but my vision was so blurry that it seemed like there were four of her. Mom #1 gave an anxious squeak and leaned me back against my pillows. She tended to freak out whenever a family member got sick.

"Stay right here, I'm going to get you an ice pack and some medicine." She left the room and I could hear her opening and closing several drawers in the kitchen. While she was busy doing that, I threw the covers off my body and held onto the bedpost for support, making my way over to the dresser. I had a red shirt in my hands when my mom came back through the door. "What are you doing!?"

"Getting ready for work," I replied, grabbing a pair of jeans.

"Oh no you don't!" She scoffed, taking the clothes from my hands and directing me back to the bed. "You have a fever, so you are definitely _not_ going to work."

"But Mom…" I whined, "I can't miss today. We're getting ready for my cover shoot in _Mirage_!"

"Well, they'll have to reschedule." Mom huffed, clearly not thinking about the laws of business. "It's impossible to model when you're this sick. Believe me, I've tried. I'll stay home so I can take care of you." She wrapped the ice pack in a dish towel and held it to my forehead, then reached for my cell phone. "Call your agent and tell him that you won't be there today."

"But—" I started to protest, but she shoved the phone in my face with a glare.

"Do it now," She growled and turned to leave. "I'll be in the kitchen making soup. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

_A suit of armor would be nice,_ I gulped, _because Kouji is going to kill me._

I glanced at the screen of my phone, scrolling down the list of contacts until I reached his number. Reluctantly, I pressed the call button and held it to my ear. He picked up on the first ring.

"Hello?" He asked softly, and my pulse immediately quickened.

_It's the fever's fault, _I argued to myself before answering. "Hey…it's me…"

"Izumi?" He guessed automatically. "Where are you? It's almost seven."

"About that…" My lip twitched nervously. I sucked in a deep breath and answered, "'IhaveafeversoIwon'tbecomingintoworktoday. Bye!"

Then hung up before he even had a chance to comment.

By My Side  
.::**Chapter 7**::.

"How are you feeling?" Mom asked, ungraciously kicking open the door to my room while carrying a long tray. She set it down in front of me to reveal a large bowl of chicken noodle soup, a glass of water, and a few pills. I took a swig of water and swallowed the pills all at once.

"Terrible," I mumbled. I stared at the soup, debating on whether my stomach could handle food right now or not.

"Poor Izumi," Mom pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear with a pout. "You're so overworked."

"I couldn't sleep last night," I said nonchalantly, hoping she wouldn't ask me the reason behind it. It certainly seemed like she wanted to, but she just shook her head and stroked my hair.

"Well, get as much rest as you can today."

I nodded, blowing on the steam from the soup. Suddenly, the doorbell rang and we both jumped in surprise. I sat up, but Mom gave my hand a pat and got up instead.

"I'll see who it is," she said before going out to the living room. I shrugged and lifted a spoonful of soup to my lips.

_Probably the mailman_, I thought, listening to the front door click open.

"Is this the Orimoto residence?" A familiar voice reached my ears. I almost choked on my soup.

"Yes it is," I heard my mom answer, delightfully confused. "I'm Naomi Orimoto. May I ask who you are?"

"I'm Kouji Minamoto," he answered back.

_What?_ My mind wailed and I dropped my spoon. _What is Kouji doing here!?_

"Oh, so you're the infamous Kouji!" Mom clasped her hands together happily. "Izumi talks about you all the time."

I closed my eyes and shrunk back under the covers. _Mom…you didn't…_

Kouji's voice came again. "Is she here? I heard she was sick, so I came to visit."

"How nice of you," Mom cooed, and my cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "She's in her room right now, but I'm sure she'd love the company. Follow me!" The sound of footsteps was my only signal that they were coming. I panicked, throwing the covers off and closing my eyes to make it look like I was sleeping. Mom's voice was much closer this time, "By the way, she feels terrible about missing work today, so go easy on her."

"I will," Kouji said as the door closed behind him.

And then there was silence.

My fake acting was a success; my eyes were tightly shut and my breathing was under control. Unfortunately, that plan crumbled when I felt the mattress sink down slightly and Kouji's body at my feet. I let out a small gasp.

"Izumi?" Kouji turned to face me now that he knew I was awake.

To go along with the charade, I yelled, "Kouji!?" in surprise and sat up.

"Relax," he held up a hand. "I just came to visit. Your mother let me in."

"Oh…"

Silence.

"How are you feeling?" Kouji spoke up first. "I would've asked you earlier, but you hung up on me." He glared.

I cringed and thought back to my hit-and-run phone call earlier. "Uh…sorry about that. I thought you were going to get mad at me."

"Don't be stupid," he sighed. "You're allowed to miss work when you're sick. I had Arisa reschedule the photo shoot to a later date."

"Sorry for the trouble," I said, reaching for a glass of water. "I can't believe this had to happen now, of all times. I guess that's what I get for worrying all night. Stupid Takuya." That last part wasn't meant to be said aloud, but I only realized my mistake after it slipped. I slapped a hand to my mouth.

"Takuya?" Kouji's eyes narrowed. "Who's that?"

I needed a way to cover that up fast.

"Oh, you know…Kanon's boyfriend?" My stomach twisted into a painful knot upon mentioning it. "He's…a childhood friend of mine. I was just thinking how we haven't seen each other in a while."

Kouji stared at me for a long moment, then shook his head. "That's a lie, isn't it? I can tell because you're not keeping eye contact with me." He leaned forward and cupped my chin between his fingers, forcing me to look at him. For once, his hand was cold and it felt so good against my skin that I unconsciously leaned into it. "What made you so upset that you came down with a fever?"

"It's not important," I muttered, fighting a wave of dizziness.

"Don't be like that, Izumi." Kouji kept his gaze firm, but removed his hand and turned so his feet were dangling off the bed. I quietly whined in protest. "I'm trying to help."

It was a while before I said anything.

"Remember at my first job…" I started, sinking back into the pillows, "…when I told you that I was rejected by someone?"

Kouji put the pieces together quickly. "It was Takuya," he said flatly.

I nodded. "I…loved him…"

Kouji tensed, but I couldn't see his expression. I figured he might as well hear the whole story, now that it's out there. I continued, swallowing the tight lump in my throat, "But he only saw me as a tomboy. When you offered me a modeling career, I figured it would be a good opportunity to get him to notice me as a _girl_. I worked so hard, hoping to change his mind, but it was all for nothing. He has Kanon now." I gripped the bed sheets between my fists, no longer holding back the tears. "It's time for me to stop pretending to be a model."

And that's when Kouji kissed me.

He leaned in close and cupped my chin with his hand once again, pulling me forward until our lips pressed together. The moment they touched was like nothing I've ever experienced before. It was so complete; so satisfying. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the tingling sensation that came with his cool touch. Finally, we broke for air and I stared at him with a dazed expression.

"Stop talking like that," Kouji whispered, breathing deeply. "If you're going to give up on modeling just because your crush likes someone else, then you're not the girl I thought you were." He brought his thumb to my cheek and wiped away the tears. "I hate your reason for joining, but I hired you for a reason. I believe you can do it, so I'm not going to let you quit."

"Kouji…why…" I started, but shook my head and offered a small smile. "Nevermind. Thank you."

He raised an eyebrow.

"For coming to visit, I mean," I explained. I already felt a little better.

He smirked and stuck his hands in his pockets, standing up. "I'm going to go; you need to get some sleep." He paused, then flicked his finger against my forehead. "For real this time."

I blinked, then laughed. "Bye."

"Bye." He said, closing the door on his way out.

I snickered and pulled the covers up to my face, knowing full well that I wouldn't be able to sleep after that.

x x x

_Next time: Kouji and Zoe go on a date._

A bit of Kouzumi fluff for you.

You should review, that I think you should do.


	8. A date

_I'd like to start out by saying: Sorry. Gomen nasai. Je suis désolée. I know it's been a while since my last update and most of you have probably forgotten the story line. It's been so hectic trying to do all the last minute things before I graduate, but I'll try to keep writing on the weekends. Thanks to all the faithful readers who have put up with me. I have about 10 more chapters planned before I finish this story, and I'm thinking one will be a special in Kouji's P.O.V. Yaaay! Hope you enjoy this next installment._

x x x

Nothing irritates me more than being startled out of the middle of a perfect dream. I was sitting at a beautiful café in Paris, eating croissants and mingling with V.I.P. models in the business. I was about to make the biggest decision of my life; signing a contract that would make me a full-time model for _Mirage_. As my pen loomed over the document, a familiar song made me jump out of my chair. That brought me back to the real world.

I blinked a few times and suddenly my room seemed a lot less exciting. So much for that dream. How did I even know what Paris looked like, anyway?

I reached over to my nightstand and grabbed my cell phone, which had been ringing for the past minute or so. At first I wanted to chuck it across the room for waking me up so early, but then I read the screen. I pressed the speaker to my ear.

"Whaddaya want?" I said, still half asleep.

"Someone just woke up," Kouji answered.

"You guess right." I rubbed my eyes and yawned. "Is something up? I didn't oversleep, right? I thought the Saturday photo shoot was scheduled for noon."

"It was," I heard him heave out a sigh. "The editor's son is sick so he had to cancel. You don't have to come in today."

Pause.

"Was there…something else you wanted to say?" I asked, confused about his sudden silence.

"Well, since you're free…" He started, and I raised an eyebrow. "Would you want to…go somewhere with me? That is, if you're feeling better."

Oh lordy, did I wake up then. I sat up straight in bed. Was he asking me on a…date? I must have spaced out for a moment, because he chimed in with, "Izumi?"

"U-Um yeah, I feel a lot better, actually. What did you have in mind?"

He laughed, and it was like music to my ears. "Why would I spoil the surprise?"

By My Side  
.::**Chapter 8**::.

By ten o'clock, I was fully showered, fully dressed, and making pancakes. Why the third, you ask? Well, I had to think of _something_ to keep me busy or else my nerves would cause me to go insane before the date even started. I poured some batter onto the skillet and the mix started sizzling. My mom walked into the kitchen wearing a navy blue bathrobe and stretched. She sniffed the air and glanced at me sideways.

"Pancakes?" She asked.

"Yup," I said. "We actually had enough batter to make them. The first batch is done if you want some."

"Thanks. They smell delicious." Mom pulled a plate from the cupboard and scraped two pancakes onto it with a spatula. I handed her a glass of orange juice and she sat down at the kitchen table. As she was cutting the pancakes into smaller pieces, she looked up at me. "So, what's the occasion?"

I folded my arms across my chest. "Can't a girl make pancakes for her family without them getting suspicious?"

She eyed me through her glass of orange juice. "I meant your outfit, honey."

It had taken a lot of digging in my dresser to find the right outfit. I mean, I wanted to look good for this date, even if it meant…that's right…wearing a dress. I still felt a bit uncomfortable whenever I wore them, but I could live with this dress. It was a pale blue color with really thin stripes and a lace design at the bottom. It had spaghetti straps that were tied into bows at my shoulders, and I had found some white sandals to wear on my feet. I had straightened my hair and let it fall down past my shoulders. When I looked back at mom, she was smiling brightly, waiting for my answer.

I turned to the skillet to hide my embarrassed blush. "I'm going out with someone today."

Her glass clinked on the table as she set it down. "With Kouji, right? Oh, I knew it. You two would make such a cute couple."

I almost dropped the pancake mix on the ground. "Wha—"

She waved a hand at me. "Don't worry. I'm not going to embarrass you with the details. I just wanted to know."

Heavy footsteps came down the hallway, and my dad entered the kitchen. He stared at the two of us. "What's going on?" He asked.

"Izumi has a date with her photographer," Mom walked by with her empty plate and kissed dad on the cheek. He whirled his head in my direction.

"Really?" He said, then frowned. "Am I gonna have to have a talk with h—"

"No!" I cut in with a groan. Flicking off the switch to the burners, I set the rest of the pancakes down on the table and grabbed some money. "Look at the time! I should get going," I said, slamming the front door behind me.

x x x

If anyone walked by me and saw my face at this moment, they would probably think I was short of breath or something. Which I kind of was. I stared at the gigantic building in my line of sight. _This…is Kouji's __**house**__? _Better yet, let me state that as _mansion_. It was shorter than the agency building, but a lot fancier. Smooth, shiny walls, a marble porch, detailed windows, a huge fountain in the front yard, and the greenest grass I've ever seen. As if on cue, Kouji stepped outside the front door looking like a super model. He was wearing a black jacket and jeans, no bandana, and his hair was tied back into a small ponytail. I remembered to breathe as he hopped off the porch to come and stand next to me.

"Hey Izumi," he said. His eyes flicked over my outfit and he gave me one of his rare grins. "You look nice. Ready to go?" He held out his hand to me.

"Wait! Don't I get a tour of the inside?" I said, gesturing to his house. "It's like you have your own museum!"

"Nah, we're gonna be late for the movie," Kouji answered quickly. Before I had a chance to retort, he laced his fingers with mine and pulled me forward. His expression was neutral, but I felt like he was shutting me out. I frowned, but decided not to say anything.

x x x

Most girls would probably choose to go see a romance film while they're on a date. Not this girl. When the two of us stepped up to the counter, I ordered two tickets for the latest horror movie. Rather than sit and watch a sappy love story with a happy ending, I wanted to see action and heart-pounding suspense. That's just the kind of girl I am. I handed Kouji his ticket, and he raised an eyebrow.

"What?" I asked. "Come on, I've been waiting to see this in theaters."

Kouji shrugged, trying not to laugh. "Can't say I'm surprised." I stuck my tongue out at him as he latched his arm around mine and pulled me into the theater. We claimed the best seats in the house; right smack in the middle. I sat down with my bucket of popcorn and waited for the previews to pass. When the lights dimmed and the movie started, Kouji leaned over and whispered, "If it gets too scary for you, you can hold my hand." I rolled my eyes and laughed.

About halfway through the movie, Kouji decided that he wanted some popcorn as well. As I grabbed a handful, his hand reached in and brushed against mine. I inhaled a sharp breath as his touch made my skin tingle.

"Sorry," he mumbled, pulling it away.

I glanced at him, then back at the popcorn. "No, it's okay." I noticed his head turn towards me, but I kept staring at the white kernels in embarrassment. "I mean…I-I don't mind if…you hold my hand."

Pause.

I mentally winced. _That was stupid. Why don't you tell him to kiss you while you're at it?_

Kouji's warm hand curled around mine and squeezed it gently. Suddenly the movie seemed a lot less important.

"Izumi?" He said quietly and I turned my head slightly in his direction. He was leaning closer now, watching me intently with his dark eyes.

I gulped, "Yeah?" Just as he pulled my chin forward. Then it happened.

The fire alarm went off.

That's right, the lights in the room flicked on and two firefighters entered. "Listen up, you all need to evacuate the premises immediately. We're taking care of a maintenance fire. Please take the emergency exit route which will lead you outside." Our theater crowd filed out of the building in a dazed manner, and then we were standing outside.

Kouji ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Well, that was a bust." I wondered if he was talking about the movie or the smooch attempt. "Where do you want to go now?"

I looked around and pointed to a tiny brown building. "How about that arcade across the street?"

x x x

"Oh, this so makes up for that stupid fire drill!" I said, pulling another huge stack of tickets out of the machine. Kouji came over to me holding a similar mess of tiny orange slits of paper.

"That's because you keep winning," he pointed out. "How many do you have?"

"Four hundred, I think."

"Two fifty," he motioned to his pile.

I allowed myself a small grin of triumph. "Let's do a two player game. If I win, you have to fork over that sad pile of tickets you have there."

Kouji stuck his hands in his pockets. "And if I win?"

"You get all of my tickets." I dropped my pile on to the table as an offering. "Let's do the squirt gun game." Basically, all you had to do to win was point your water gun at the target and be the first to pop your balloon. I sat in front of the yellow balloon and Kouji sat in front of the orange one. We dropped a few quarters into the machine and aimed our water guns. The timer went off, and water spewed out against the targets. After a minute, I heard a popping noise, and I looked up to see which one had exploded. The yellow balloon was still standing.

"Looks like I win," Kouji said.

"It pains me to admit it, but yeah, you did. I'll go get my tickets." I started walking over to the table, when I felt Kouji's hand catch my arm. He spun me around to face him and my eyes widened in surprise.

"You know, tickets are nice, but I'd rather have something else…" He said, giving me that same look he had earlier at the theater. My heart sped up in excitement, and I leaned in with him—

"Hey! Are you playing that game? 'Cause if you aren't, then move out of the way!" A high pitched voice made us both jump in surprise. I glanced down at a young girl with brown pigtails wearing a pink dress. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at us. "Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah, we heard you." I grumbled. _Brat_.

Kouji and I moved out of the way and went back to our table in silence. I sighed.

x x x

At the onset of dusk, we bought ice cream cones and went to the park. I got a chocolate soft serve, my favorite, and Kouji got vanilla. After I paid for my cone, I turned to take the first bite out of the top of the ice cream, but there was already a mouth-sized crater there.

"Chocolate. Nice choice."

I shot a glare at Kouji. "You just put your tongue all over my ice cream!"

He shrugged. "It was only one lick."

And then we couldn't help it – we burst out laughing. I clutched my stomach from giggling so hard and even Kouji loosened up enough to laugh like an idiot with me. I wiped tears out of my eyes and sighed, catching my breath.

"Déjà vu," I commented, and Kouji nodded.

"I'll never forget that day," he said, licking vanilla ice cream off his lips. I tried not to pay _too_ much attention to that.

"Me neither," I agreed, staring out at the sunset. "That was the day my life turned crazy."

"Good crazy or bad crazy?" Kouji asked.

"Good crazy." I smiled. "Thanks for choosing me, Kouji."

"I'll always choose you, Izumi." He stepped closer to me, closing the gap between us. When I looked up at him, our face were inches apart. "You're so special to me."

I knew what was coming. I closed my eyes and slowly raised my feet so I was on my tippy-toes, and it was just enough to let our lips meet. The kiss was sweet, especially since we had just eaten ice cream. The fountain lights turned on next to us, and the area was enveloped in a soft glow. After a long moment, we broke apart for air and touched foreheads.

"I think I'm starting to favor vanilla ice cream." I grinned.

x x x

Kouji and I stopped by the agency after the park so Kouji could prepare his office for tomorrow morning, and then he would see me off when I took a taxi to get home. Arisa was there doing some paperwork behind the front desk. She noticed the two of us walking in holding hands, and immediately stopped what she was doing.

"I'll be back in a minute." Kouji gave me a kiss on the cheek before climbing up the stairs.

Arisa waited until he was out of sight, then she turned to me and grinned. "Oh my god!" She stepped out from behind her desk and gave me a hug. "Are you two a couple now?"

I nodded.

"That's great! I'm so happy for you," she said. Then she checked for bystanders and leaned in close with a smirk. "You know, Kouji was here earlier asking me for dating tips. It was so cute!"

"Arisa!" Kouji hissed, coming down the stairs. "What are you saying to her?"

"Nothing! Nothing!" Arisa giggled and spun around to resume her late night duties.

I smiled, hoping days like these would last forever.

x x x

_Next time: The Mirage photo shoot._

_More Kouzumi fluff, I can't take it! xD_

_Review, my friend._


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